| Abstract: | The effect of santonin pretreatment on gastric mucosal injuries caused by 80% ethanol, 25% NaCl, 0.2 M NaOH, indomethacin, and combined treatment of ethanol and indomethacin was investigated in rats. The effects caused by ethanol on gastric mucus secretion, gastric levels of non-protein sulfhydryl groups, and malondialdehyde and histopathological effects were also investigated. Santonin pretreatment at oral doses of 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg (121.8, 243.6, and 487.2 μmol/kg) provided a dose-dependent protection against the ulcerogenic effects of different necrotising agents used. Further pretreatment with santonin afforded a dose-dependent inhibition of ethanol-induced depletion of stomach wall mucus, proteins, nucleic acids, non-protein sulfhydryl groups, and an increase in malondialdehyde levels in gastric tissue. The histopathological lesions induced by ethanol in the gastric mucosa were also protected by santonin pretreatment. The protective effect of santonin against alcohol damage to the gastric-wall mucosa may be mediated through its effects on mucus production, nucleic acids, and non-protein sulfhydryl generation and its free-radical scavenging. © Wiley-Liss, Inc. |
